Tuesday 7 January 2014

Nikki hits out against cuts to libraries in Wolverhampton



We Demand a Referendum Now MEP Nikki Sinclaire has spoken of her sadness on hearing the news that library services are set to be cut in Wolverhampton in a drive to save money at Wolverhampton Council.

Some libraries in the city will be reduced to just self-service machines with others staffed as little as 15 hours a week.  Cuts have to be made after the Council discovered they were £25 million worse off than they originally thought.

Many of the library cuts are in some of the most deprived places,

Nikki said,

“Growing up on a Council estate, the library was my place of solitude. As a child I devoured books, and have many happy memories of spending hours in my local library, expanding my knowledge and enjoying escaping to the worlds hidden within the pages.

Libraries aren’t only about books. They can be places for quiet reflection. In these modern times, they can be a place to access the internet or local services.

What are we saying to these children and young people, living in deprived areas, when we take away vital public services such as libraries? Surely we need to look at making libraries multi-use to ensure they can be of use to as many people as possible.

The thought of any child without access to a library makes me very sad indeed and I would urge a re-think or perhaps to explore other ways we can use libraries to make sure they are used to their full potential”.